UPDATE: April the Giraffe Is Victim of Yet Another Breeding Scheme

Update: April the giraffe was again recorded as she gave birth at Animal Adventure Park, an unaccredited roadside zoo in upstate New York. Her male calf was born on the afternoon of Saturday, March 16, according to reports.

This wasn’t the first time that Animal Adventure Park live-streamed April as she gave birth. It pulled the same distasteful stunt in October 2017, when Tajiri was born. It seems that the roadside zoo is fixated on breeding sensitive giraffes just to confine them to tiny enclosures that are only a fraction of the size of their massive home ranges in nature.

The Dark Side of Breeding Giraffes for Entertainment

Roadside zoos’ captive-breeding activities do nothing to help conserve wild giraffe populations. April’s calves will never be released into the wild, and although female giraffes in nature often stay with their mothers for their entire life, all of April’s offspring have been taken from her before reaching 19 months old—some of them at just a few weeks old—and most have been sent to other roadside zoos. Studies show that allowing humans to come into direct contact with imperiled species—like the interactions that are promoted at Animal Adventure Park—can undermine legitimate conservation efforts by causing the public to believe that the species may not actually be in jeopardy.

As if live-streaming to the world a mother’s vulnerable, intimate moments of giving birth weren’t distasteful enough, Animal Adventure Park keeps breeding baby giraffe after baby giraffe—all of whom will endure a lifetime of confinement. None of them will have the opportunity to engage in natural types of behavior—such as roaming ranges of up to 1,200 square miles, forming complex relationships, and browsing for leaves and fruits on tall trees. As a result, captive giraffes often develop abnormal repetitive behavior patterns, such as pacing and making compulsive tongue movements. They also frequently suffer from gastrointestinal disease, kidney stones, abnormal tooth wear, pancreatic disease, and “peracute mortality syndrome” (or sudden death).

Read more of “April the Giraffe: The Dark Side of Breeding Giraffes for Entertainment,” a new report authored by PETA Foundation Supervising Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Heather Rally, Captive Animal Law Enforcement Research Associate Whitney Kent, and Vice President Delcianna Winders.

Don’t Participate in ‘Giraffe Cam’ Nonsense

We get it—baby giraffes are adorable. But anyone who really cares about giraffes should reject Animal Adventure Park’s schemes and urge the roadside zoo to end its harmful, self-serving breeding program.

Originally posted on July 25, 2018:

Update: It’s official—April the giraffe is pregnant again. Another giraffe calf will be born into captivity, doomed to spend his or her life in confinement, all for one roadside zoo’s desire for internet fame and profit.

According to Newsweek, a livestream of April is already available online. Keep reading to find out why this is wrong on so many levels and what you can do to help animals like her.

Originally posted on June 25, 2018:

Rumors are circulating that April the giraffe might be pregnant again.

April’s pregnancy and delivery were live-streamed last year from inside her enclosure at Animal Adventure Park, a roadside zoo located in upstate New York. In October, she gave birth to Tajiri, who—like his mother—will spend his life in captivity, being denied everything that’s natural and important to his species. Now, the folks at Animal Adventure Park believe that April may be expecting again, and of course, they’re seizing the opportunity to make money.

What’s So Wrong With Keeping Giraffes in Zoos?

Being confined to a roadside zoo is no life at all for fragile African giraffes, who have prematurely died by the dozens in captivity. Giraffes used for money-making roadside zoo attractions often face the following issues:

• They experience distressing transportation.
• They don’t receive adequate veterinary or even basic care.
• They’re fed an imbalanced diet.
• They’re predisposed to peracute mortality syndrome, a term describing sudden, mysterious death.
• They exhibit abnormal behavior, such as pacing.
• They’re exposed to temperatures that their bodies aren’t suited for.
• They’re separated from other giraffes they’ve bonded with—all for breeding and other management purposes.

Subjecting animals to a lifetime at a roadside zoo means forcing them to endure a lifetime of misery—and possibly a premature death.

Don’t Participate in ‘Giraffe Cam’ Nonsense

Animal Adventure Park’s cycle of breeding giraffes for video views and a quick buck is grotesque. If roadside zoos wanted to prioritize animal welfare, they would end these shameful animal-breeding programs.

PETA urges everyone who cares about wildlife to support organizations that protect giraffes in their wild homes and avoid any facility that keeps wild animals captive in order to turn a profit.

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